Disposable diapers have met with increased commercial acceptance in recent years, primarily because of their convenience, as opposed to cloth diapers, which must be laundered when soiled. Many different constructions have been proposed, and some have been quite successful in the market place. However, even the more successful diapers are inadequate in certain functional aspects.
One design criterion, which has been sought to be achieved, is the desire to keep moisture away from the surface of the diaper which comes into contact with the infant's skin, and to thereby avoid skin irritation and infection. A diaper that achieves this result to a substantial degree is disclosed in Mesek et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,055, issued Oct. 12, 1971.
The typical disposable diaper is comprised of three components; namely, a facing layer which is positioned adjacent the infant's skin, an absorbent batt immediately beneath the facing layer which distributes and stores the liquid deposited on the diaper, and finally, a water-impervious sheet which contains the liquid within the diaper structure. The facing layer is generally less wettable than the absorbent batt so that liquid will be drawn preferentially into the absorbent batt and away from the infant's skin. To maximize the preferential flow of liquid through the facing layer and into the absorbent batt, it is desirable to reduce the wettability of the facing layer as much as possible. There is, however, a practical limit to the reduction of wettability in the facing layer because when the facing layer becomes sufficiently unwettable, there is some tendency for the liquid deposited on the facing layer to pool on it, and thereby increase the possibility of skin irritation and infection.